Governor Monday Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have emerged victorious in the first round of a series of petitions challenging their declaration as winners of the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State.
The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal dismissed a petition filed against them by the Action Alliance (AA) and one Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, ruling that it lacked merit and was frivolous.
In its initial ruling on Wednesday, the Tribunal determined that Omoaje, who had filed the joint petition, lacked the legal standing (locus standi) to bring the case forward, as his complaint was not related to election matters.
The Tribunal emphasized that Omoaje did not participate in the governorship election and therefore had no legal grounds to challenge its outcome. Additionally, the Tribunal pointed out that Omoaje’s grievance stemmed from not being recognized as the National Chairman of the Action Alliance for the purpose of nominating candidates for the election, but that this issue had no basis in the Electoral Act of 2022.
Omoaje had sought a declaration from the Tribunal that the victory of Okpebholo and the APC in the election, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was illegal, unlawful, and void due to non-compliance with the Electoral Act. He also accused Okpebholo and the APC of corruption and alleged that they did not secure the majority of lawful votes.
Moreover, Omoaje claimed that AA was denied the opportunity to nominate a valid governorship candidate for the election because he, as the National Chairman, was not permitted to sign the nomination form.
In the election results, INEC declared Okpebholo of the APC the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating his closest competitor, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 247,655 votes.
